Jul. 18 (Tribune News Service) — U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kan., introduced a bill last week that would allow military base commanders to enter agreements with local officials.

Moran is co-chair of the Senate Defense Communities Caucus. The legislation would expand the authority of Department of Defense base commanders to enter into intergovernmental service agreements (IGSA) in their local communities.

IGSAs allow for military installations and communities to make mutually beneficial agreements.

Moran’s office said in a statement that these partnerships enhance local collaboration and support our communities while also allowing the military to save money on certain goods and services.

Current law limits the use of IGSAs to 10-year agreements, are only available through certain funds and prohibit inter-agency collaboration on agreements with the surrounding community. This legislation would expand the scope of IGSAs, saving taxpayer money while allowing military communities and installations to increase investment in each other.

“Our military installations in Kansas have led the way in demonstrating the value of integrating our military bases with the surrounding community,” Moran said. “This legislation will help reduce costs for the DoD, improve services on the base and increase valuable investments in our military communities.”

He gave an example of Fort Riley, near Moran’s home base of Manhattan, Kan. Fort Riley recently entered into an IGSA with a local school district on two major barracks renovation projects. He said the partnership saved the Army roughly 50% on project costs, delivered over 80% procurement time savings, stabilized the contract workforce supporting the Geary County Schools and invested $14 million in funds back in the school district.

© 2025 The Manhattan Mercury, Kan.

Visit www.themercury.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.